Philadelphia 76ers

PHILADELPHIA >> An injury suffered by small forward Robert Covington Friday night in the ugly 17-point home loss to the Orlando Magic left the Sixers a little shy in the personnel department for Saturday night’s game against the Boston Celtics.

In the latest edition of his podcast, Jack McCaffery talks about how Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is going to have to start winning these close games to be considered among the elite. Jack also likes the direction the 76ers are headed.

When his heart stopped Thursday at the age of 58, Darryl Dawkins was gone too soon. Given the way his basketball career had unfolded, that was sadly predictable. Professionally, he was too soon for everything.

It took equal parts courage and arrogance, and it took an amazing ability to control minds, but the Sixers pulled off a pip at the 2014 draft. They would invest the No. 3 overall pick in a player who not only missed the end of his only college season with a stress-fractured back, but who would spend draft day in a boot, the result of a foot operation.

The Sacramento Kings have agreed to send Nik Stauskas, Jason Thompson and Carl Landry to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of a salary-shedding move to pursue free agents, a person with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.

NEW YORK >> The crowd in Sections 225 and 226 of the Barclays Center roared its approval as NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the Portland Trail Blazers had taken Chester All-Delco and Arizona product Rondae Hollis-Jefferson with the 23rd pick in the first round of the NBA Draft Thursday night.

PHILADELPHIA >> Sam Hinkie said he likes to think that he would have had “the courage” to select Jahlil Okafor with the third pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft in the wake of the recent news about the injury status of last year’s No.

For all the analytics Sam Hinkie was ever going to consider as he made the 76ers’ first selection in the draft Thursday, none was more simple, more accurate and more valuable than the one he would endorse.

The Sixers will select third in the June 25 NBA Draft. Before then, Sam Hinkie would like to try out, interview, investigate and vet guards and big men, stretch fours and point forwards, eligible underclassmen and graduated fifth-year seniors, players from Europe and from the Big 5, prospects from major programs and small colleges, 10 at a time if possible.